Why Is St. Patrick’s Day Celebrated?

Cities dye their rivers green. The head politician of Ireland visits the U.S. to meet with the president. Patrons clink mugs full of green beer.

This Sunday, March 17, is St. Patrick’s Day While it may be an informal drinking holiday for many Americans, it is actually a national holiday in Ireland and a source of great pride.

To get the scoop on the holiday’s backstory, We have previously spoke with Elizabeth Stack, executive director of Albany’s Irish American Heritage Museum, and Brian Witt, the cultural exhibits coordinator for Milwaukee Irish Fest.

The Meaning behind St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, brought to the Emerald Isle when he was kidnapped and enslaved. Though he eventually escaped, he returned and advanced Christianity throughout the island.

Witt says the day gives Irish and Irish Americans the opportunity to “celebrate their heritage,” and Stack agrees that the parades in places like the states and England convey “that the Irish people have made a contribution to the society – that they were sort of welcomed, that they were accepted as citizens.”

Once a solemn religious holiday, Stack said it didn’t take on the drinking stereotype until America started celebrating the day.

It is still a bank holiday and a big family day in Ireland, even though St. Patrick himself was supposedly born in Britain.

Why is St. Patrick’s Day celebrated on March 17?

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17 to commemorate the death of Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, around 492 AD. In the United States, it’s a time for celebrating Irish heritage, often marked by lively parades.

St. Patrick’s original color isn’t green

St. Patrick is tied to blue, while people cloak themselves in green to symbolize Irish nationalism. The Irish flag’s colors are green, white, and orange, with the mythical belief that green makes one invisible to leprechauns originating in America.

Is St. Patrick’s Day a federal holiday?

St. Patrick’s Day is not a federal holiday in the United States. Post offices, banks, and most businesses and stores will be open on Friday, even amid parades and other celebrations.

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